Prophylactic prescription of vitamin D in France: National multicenter epidemiological study of 3240 children under 6 years of age

Aims. The aim of the study was to assess compliance with the current recommendations of prophylactic prescription of vitamin D via a multicentric cross-sectional epidemiological survey of 3240 children under 6 years of age. Method. Parent questionnaires and data from the health records of children presenting to the emergency departments of 25 teaching hospitals and hospital centers provided information on the children's characteristics, their prescriptions, and other vitamin D intake. Based on the currently applicable recommendations, intakes of 600-1200 IU/day - 900-1500 IU/day for children with pigmented skin and/or premature and/or hypotrophic children - are considered adequate. Results. In 1606 infants, 9.8% of the prescriptions were below and 23.7% were above the recommendations; in 1256 children between 18 months and 5 years of age, 53.4% of the prescriptions were below and 5.1% were above the recommendations. Children at risk, those from the southern half of France, and those between 18 months and 5 years of age were more likely to receive a prescription below the recommendations; their risk of receiving a prescription above the recommended guidelines was smaller. Of the children aged between 61 and 71 months, 85% had not received any prescription at all during the previous 12 months. These results were compared with the laboratory data collected from a subsample of children. There was a significant correlation between the adequacy of the prescription and the biological vitamin D status both for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) serological concentrations and for calciuria. Conclusions. Only 66.6% of the prescriptions in children between 0 and 18 months of age and 41.5% in children between 19 months and 5 years of age comply with the recommendations; 53.4% of the prescriptions in the latter age group are below the current recommendations. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.